Stated Clerk Writes to Army Corps of Engineers about Increased Coal Export Traffic in the Pacific NW

Col. John G. Buck

Seattle District Commander

Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

P.O. Box 3755

Seattle, WA 98 124-3755

Re:  Support of Lummi Nation Request for Denial of Permit for the Proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal Bulk Dry Goods Shipping Facility (Ref. No. NWS-2008-260).

Dear Colonel Buck:

As Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a Christian denomination in the Reformed tradition, it is my responsibility to communicate the will of the General Assembly, our church’s highest governing body, which is composed of representatives from all 171 presbyteries in the nation. Last year, the 221^st General Assembly (2014) expressed, by unanimous consent, serious concern about the expansion of coal transportation through the Pacific Northwest. I therefore urge you to deny the permit for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal Bulk Dry Goods Shipping Facility at Cherry Point, WA.

The Assembly “recognize[d] that regional issues of extraction, pollution, transportation, and export have interstate, national, and global implications, both for environmental justice concerns and for global climate disruption/change. Such impacts range from coal dust pollution, diesel particulates, potential for derailments, negative impacts on real estate, and public health and safety concerns, to global climate change, sea level rise, acidification of oceans, severe weather events, and the ethical dilemma of profiting from the export of coal and other fossil fuels for use in countries whose environmental and pollution restrictions are less stringent.”

For these reasons we also urge that any expansion of coal train routes undergo a complete Environmental Impact Assessment conducted at multiple locations along the proposed expansion route so as to assess the impact on vulnerable communities.

To add to these environmental justice concerns, I understand that the proposed Cherry Point coal terminal will be located on Lummi Nation sacred sites. This terminal threatens Lummi fishing rights and their way of life. The potential damage to salmon, crab and herring fisheries cannot be mitigated.  Nor can the damage to ancestral homes and archeological sites be repaired once they are destroyed.   All of this has been clearly spelled out by the tribe in numerous letters to the Army Corps of Engineers. Siting this coal terminal at Cherry Point plainly violates Lummi Nation treaty rights. As a church, we have confessed our complicity in the oppression of this nation’s First People and affirm that “programs and services to Indian peoples are not ‘gifts,’ but are rights accorded to them as citizens of the United States and as members of Indian tribes who secured those rights through ‘government to government’ agreements and treaties.” I write to stand in solidarity with the Lummi Nation and urge you to reject the permit for the new Terminal.

Our covenants are sacred -- those with God, those between the U.S. government and the governments of indigenous people, and our covenant with each other to till and to keep the Earth healthy for generations to come. I call on the Army Corps of Engineers to uphold the treaty rights of the Native communities of the Northwest, to ensure that our extraction, transportation and export of fossil fuels not do harm to vulnerable communities and the environment, and immediately to deny the permit application for a proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point, Xwe’chi’eXen in the Native language.   

Sincerely,

The Reverend Gradye Parsons

Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

CC:      The Honorable Jay Inslee

            The Honorable Patty Murray

The Honorable Maria Cantwell

The Honorable Suzan DelBene

The Honorable Rick Larsen

The Honorable Jaime Herrera Beutler

The Honorable Dan Newhouse

The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers

The Honorable Derek Kilmer

The Honorable Jim McDermott

The Honorable Dave Reichert

The Honorable Adam Smith

The Honorable Denny Heck

           

To read the complete GA Overture, click here.

To download the PDF of this letter, click here. 

General Assembly Concerned by Coal Trains

Approved as amended (amended text below) by the 221st General Assembly (2014) on the consent agenda --

On Affirming a Programmatic Review of the Impact of Expanded Coal Export Projects on Human Health and Well Being

The Presbytery of Seattle overtures the 221st General Assembly (2014) to state concerns related to the ongoing and expanding extraction and export of fossil fuels, particularly coal, from the U.S. for use in Asia, and approve the following measures for public health and climate stewardship:

     1. Urges civil authorities to conduct promptly a full, programmatic review and assessment of the impact of expanded coal export projects in Washington and Oregon on human health and the well-being of communities along the Northwest rail lines. [This should include full Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the studies should be conducted at multiple locations along the proposed expansion route so as to assess the impact on vulnerable communities.
 
     2. Commends the Washington State Department of Environmental Quality (WA DEQ) for its decision to conduct a full EIS along the route within its jurisdiction and directs the Stated Clerk to communicate this approbation to WA DEQ.
 
     3. Recognizes that regional issues of extraction, pollution, transportation, and export have interstate, national, and global implications, both for environmental justice concerns and for global climate disruption/change. Such impacts range from coal dust pollution, diesel particulates, potential for derailments, negative impacts on real estate, and public health and safety concerns, to global climate change, sea level rise, acidification of oceans, severe weather events, and the ethical dilemma of profiting from the export of coal and other fossil fuels for use in countries whose environmental and pollution restrictions are less stringent.
 
     4. Affirms that civil authorities are called upon to require full disclosure and consideration of the combined effect of all coal export projects taken together on the poorest and most vulnerable communities, locally and globally. The General Assembly further affirms that the evaluation of coal export involves moral choices, in which key considerations are caring for the creation that God has made and with careful stewardship and justice for those who depend on a stable climate and water supply for survival.
 
     5. Directs the Stated Clerk to write to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, and the governors and congressional delegation of Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, urging comprehensive Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) along proposed routes for expanded export of fossil fuels, including analysis from the National Transportation Safety Board and other bodies as necessary.
 
     6. Commends the presbyteries of Seattle, Cascades, and North Puget Sound for their environmental awareness and advocacy, and encourages other Presbyterians and councils of the church to consider the impact of resource extraction, transportation, and use in their regions and to work with state and national ecumenical bodies and the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Mission Agency in addressing concerns.

Washington Report to Presbyterians August 2014

The Summer 2014 Washington Report to Presbyterians went into the mail at the end of August!  

Click here to view or download the complete Washington Report to Presbyterians (PDF document).

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE PC(USA) OFFICE OF PUBLIC WITNESS INCLUDES:

Reverend J. Herbert Nelson Joins Workers and Faith Leaders in Demanding Better Jobs for Low-Wage Workers

On Tuesday, July 29, 2014, the Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, II, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Director for Public Witness, joined with workers and other leaders in the faith community… in an action of nonviolent civil disobedience to urge President Obama to improve jobs for millions of workers. Read more.

Advocacy Training Weekend: Save the Dates April 17-20, 2015 – “Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration & Systems of Exploitation”

Come to Washington, DC, April 17-20, 2015, for the 13^th annual National Gathering of Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice titled, “Breaking the Chains: Mass Incarceration and Systems of Exploitation.” …The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is proud to sponsor and collaborate in planning this conference that seeks to build a movement to shake the foundations of systems of human exploitation (Acts 16). We further invite you to arrive early and attend “Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day,” an opportunity for Presbyterians to gather, reflect, educate, network, fellowship, and be in prayer together. Together we can build a movement to Break the Chains!  Read More.

The Office of Public Witness at the 221^st General Assembly

The staff members of the Office of Public Witness were busy at the General Assembly (GA), which took place June 14-21, 2014, in Detroit, MI… It was a busy week for us. Even as we supported the commissioners, advisory delegates and corresponding members with our prayers and expertise, J. Herbert Nelson also made five speaking appearances. We all had a great time connecting with old allies and new partners for justice all over the place – from the Exhibit Hall to the committee rooms to the Plenary floor. Here are just a few highlights…

Meet our 2014 Summer Fellows: A Celebration of Service Learning

Kyle Cristofalo, Anne Fyffe, Alissa Rashid, and David Clifford. Click here.

Welcoming PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers

Jenny Hyde and AmyBeth Willis. Click here.

Click here to view or download the complete Washington Report to Presbyterians (PDF document).

OPW at GA

The Office of Public Witness at the 221st General Assembly

OPW Staff and Summer Fellows in the GA Exhibit Hall

The staff members of the Office of Public Witness were busy at the General Assembly (GA), which took place June 14-21, 2014, in Detroit, MI. While Director for Public Witness J. Herbert Nelson and Representatives Catherine Gordon and Leslie Woods attended the GA as resource people for various committees (5 committees amongst us), our Summer Fellows served the Assembly as Student Assistants. Three of them were assigned as committee assistants, so if you visited or served on the committees on Middle East, Marriage, or Mission Coordination, you probably met them! And our recent seminary intern, Sabrina Slater, represented Princeton Seminary as a Theological Student Advisory Delegate.

It was a busy week for us. Even as we supported the commissioners, advisory delegates and corresponding members with our prayers and expertise, J. Herbert Nelson also made five speaking appearances. We had a great time connecting with old allies and new partners for justice all over the place – from the Exhibit Hall to the committee room to the Plenary floor. Here are just a few highlights:

GA Plenary

The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson addressed the General Assembly during the Friday afternoon plenary. In his address, he reminded us of the long Presbyterian tradition of engaging in public life, from John Calvin’s advocacy with the leaders of 16^th century Geneva, to John Witherspoon who signed the Declaration of Independence, to Stated Clerk Eugene Carson Blake who marched with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. He quoted current Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons who wrote in 2009 “So, on one hand, it would appear that those of the Reformed tradition have been defenders of the role of government, and on the other hand, disturbers of governments.” Rev. Nelson remarked, “this paradoxical call places us in a significant position to love our nation while possess a willingness to make it better.” Nelson concluded his remarks to the GA by saying, “We cannot remain silent in these troubling times. The world needs the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to stand up and be the Church. Join me in making a difference in this sin sick world. We can do it together.  Thank you and God Bless!”

New Education Initiative

J. Herbert Nelson and Frank Dimmock

Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry, together with World Mission, announced a new “Educate a Child, Change the World” initiative that seeks to provide quality education to one million children worldwide by the year 2020. This joint partnership was approved the General Assembly and launched at a lunch event where Frank Dimmock, World Mission’s catalyst for poverty issues, and J. Herbert Nelson, each discussed the critical issues of education as a tool to create equality. Education transforms lives,” Dimmock said, “empowering girls and women particularly … for leadership … for economic opportunity … for better health.” The children who be reached by the education initiative “are children of God and our children,” Dimmock continued, “providing them a quality education is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.” Both speakers emphasized the fundamental truth that “every child can learn.”

CPJ Meal and the Reverend William Barber

The Reverend Dr. William Barber

At the Thursday evening meal, Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry welcomed the Reverend William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP and leader of the growing Moral Monday movement. Barber, whose presence is powerful and inspiring, challenged us to take the on the special interests that use private money to create public power. He said, “Never before have we seen so much money spent to oppose equality.” He went on to profoundly disturb us with the observation that “we live in an age when corporations are treated like people and people are treated like things.” Barber challenged the church, at large: “if we claim to believe in the triune God, then we have to oppose the triune evils of racism, classism, and militarism… how can we oppose Rome when we have become Rome?” We left the evening feeling energized, but convinced of just how much work there is still to do in the cause of God’s justice in our public places. “Never forget,” Barber said, “when you pray ‘God bless America,’ that God is not the property of just one nation.”

Gratitude for the General Assembly

The Office of Public Witness gives thanks for the work of the General Assembly, for the commitment of the Commissioners and Advisory Delegates who did the hard work of discerning the will of the Spirit, and for all the OGA event planners, student assistants, volunteers, and COLA folks without whom the Assembly would not have been possible. As the voice of Presbyterian public policy, tasked with representing the social witness policy of Presbyterian General Assemblies, the Office of Public Witness pays close attention to the GA. We have come home with a lot of new work to do! Join us in the struggle for compassion, peace, and justice in our public lives.

J. Herbert Nelson Addresses 221st General Assembly

Remarks Given by the Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II

221^st General Assembly

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Meeting

Detroit, Michigan

June 20, 2014

Good afternoon. I am J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC. Your Office of Public Witness is responsible for advocating the social justice policies approved by each General Assembly that has implications for the federal government. Presbyterians’ work in justice advocacy began with the founding of Presbyterianism in Geneva, Switzerland, by a lawyer named John Calvin who advocated for public education. Calvin believed so strongly that the Church of Jesus had a role to correct, influence and transform government that upon his death, he willed his writings to governmental leaders of Geneva, Switzerland, rather than the Smithsonian Institute of his day. He did this simple act to underscore his commitment to the belief that given the moral and ethical latitude of political leaders, their thoughts ought to be reminded of the mind of Christ in their deliberations.

A Scots Presbyterian Clergyman John Witherspoon was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only active clergyman to sign the document.

In 1963, African American Presbyterian Pastors and Women’s Rights Advocates led student and community movements across the country. We are often reminded of the role that Reverend Eugene Carson Blake, Stated Clerk of the United Presbyterian Church played in assisting White clergy of all denominations to engage the struggle for racial and gender justice. His monumental moment was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when he stood with Dr. King in the March for Jobs and Justice, known today as the 1963 March on Washington, to declare that the White Church is late in coming to this movement, but he made it clear “we are here now.”

As Gradye Parsons suggest in his writing Presbyterians and Politics: Disturbers of Government, “So, on one hand, it would appear that those of the Reformed tradition have been defenders of the role of government, and on the other hand, disturbers of governments.” This paradoxical call places us in a significant position to love our nation while possess a willingness to make it better.

The biblical mandate for our call to justice as a denomination is found in the words of Jesus’ emancipation address when he entered the temple at the beginning of his ministry and gave voice to the power of his commitment to justice and liberty for all when he read “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” This liberating, agitating and elevating personal mission statement from the reading of Isaiah sets the tone for discipleship and provides the basis for our work in Washington, DC.

We give thanks to God for the revamping and revitalization of our Summer Fellowship and Intern Programs, where we are engaging young people in the work of justice advocacy. Four of our summer fellows have been working at this General Assembly in your committees and on the floor.  Additionally, we are excited about our partnership with the Young Adult Volunteer Program and Hunger Program that will bring one or two Young Adult Volunteers to serve in our office for the next two years. These training opportunities for young people could not be done without your gifts and financial support.

On yesterday we launched a new initiative with World Mission to educate children. I firmly believe that given our Presbyterian heritage in education, if there is PC(USA) congregation in town or on the corner no child should enter school without knowing their colors or numbers or how to spell their name! If there is PC(USA) congregation in town or on the corner no child should attend school from K – 12 and not be able to get a high school diploma! Our commitment to partnering with other entities of the Church extends to joining the Peacemaking Program and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in an effort to eradicate Gun Violence in the United States. Presbyterian congregations across this country have screened the movie ‘Trigger’ and developed action plans to address a policy entitled Gun Violence and Gospel Values approved by the 219^th General Assembly (2010). We are training Presbyterians to go back to their local communities become change agents in the political realities they face every day. Over three hundred Presbyterians have come to Washington, DC annually for our annual Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Day and Ecumenical Advocacy Days. These persons are engaged in advocacy training with skills to return home and make a difference in their local communities through engagement with policy makers.

Friends, we face a time when our voting rights are being suppressed; a time when corporations are paying millions to CEO’s who have failed at their job, while people in our nations are working hard every day. In this country of opulence there are people working overtime and still don’t make enough to pay their bills and feed their children. We live in a nation that chooses war over peace and power over partnership. We live in a nation where leaders would rather shut down the government than make a righteous decision.

I’m so glad Jeremiah did not bow to the temple priest who locked him in the stock room. He declared that he thought about turning back during his detention. However, something within him allowed him to say, ‘I can’t turn back. What I feel inside is like a fire shut up in my bones. He continued to proclaim God’s liberty and truth. If that does not convince you, I’m so glad Isaiah called the exiles back home; I’m so glad Micah made it plain when responding to the question, What does the Lord require? He said, to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God!” And Jesus demonstrates this call in his earthly life and reminds us in Matthew 25: 41-45 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'  

We cannot remain silent in these troubling times. The world needs the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to stand up and be the Church. Join me in making a difference in this sin sick world. We can do it together.  Thank you and God Bless!